


The Sixth Stop

by onekisstotakewithme



Series: Search for Magic [1]
Category: Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away
Genre: F/M, Search for Magic, haku shows up, tea reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onekisstotakewithme/pseuds/onekisstotakewithme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baron has always had magic, and yet for a certain former client, a little more magic is required. He seeks out an old friend, Zeniba, hoping to get the necessary magic from her for what he needs. He brings Haru with him. First in the "Search for Magic" series, as Baron tries to find a way to permanently stay human. Cat Returns x Spirited Away. Baron x Haru hints, crossover...Part 1</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sixth Stop

Baron glanced out the window.

The sun would be setting soon, and then he had a business matter to attend to. He glanced again at his recently-acquired new pocket watch- a gift from his favorite client, and one of his closest friends.

“What are we waiting for, Baron?” Haru asked softly.

He turned and smiled at her, watching her set down her teacup, “Haru, I assume you found a way to be excused until tomorrow morning?”

“Hiromi is covering me, so tell me. What’s going on?”

“We have to go see an old friend of mine. However, unfortunately for both of us, it requires some cross-world magic.”

“Are we going to a different country, Baron?” Haru asked with a smile, “I didn’t bring my passport.”

Baron laughed at that, “No passport required. It’s a world…..” he hesitated. While it was all fun and games when they laughed about their first meeting, it was pretty hard to ignore that it was difficult to bring up for both of them, “quite different…”

“From my own?” her eyes danced with laughter.

“Laugh while you can, kid,” Muta smirked, “Seeing as you won’t be enjoying yourself for much longer where you’re going.”

The smile fell off her face, as Baron turned to him, annoyed, “Funny, Muta?”

“Sure. The spirit world. Haven’t you ever heard of a _normal_ field trip?” He chuckled.

“You can stop laughing yourself, Muta, seeing as you and Toto are coming with us.”

“ _What_?” Muta asked, “it’s one thing to ask a human girl to go to the spirit world-,”

“But a pampered housecat is an entirely different matter!” Toto laughed.

Muta picked up a teacake to launch at him. He missed, and then grabbed another one. Toto wasn’t one to take it lying down, so he started fighting back.

“You call that a throw? It failed almost as badly as your last diet!”

“Yeah? You can go fry yourself, chicken wings!”

“I’m a crow, you _idiot_!”

“Because that’s original!” Muta launched a few sugar cubes next.

“Really,” Baron sighed, “What a waste. Don’t throw the teapot please, it’s an antique.”

“Speaking of tea,” Haru said, “This batch is quite good, Baron.”

He turned, “Only _quite_ good?”

“Please, Baron, the girl’s been singing your praises long enough,” Toto said, and both Baron and Haru had the sense to blush.

“When are we all leaving?” Haru asked.

“Yes well… that seems to be a bit of a problem,” Baron admitted, “Our main concern is utilising the magic we have to travel.”

“There aren’t any spiritual train stations or anything, are there?” she asked.

Baron’s eyes lit up. “I believe you’re right, Haru!”

“Spiritual train station?” she asked, confused.

“We had a client once, whose family disappeared for months and then reappeared, but only the client herself realized how much time had passed. She’d been stuck in the spirit world, you see,” Baron explained.

“And that’s relevant how?” Muta asked, pausing long enough to get a teacake to the side of the head, “HEY!”

“On her journey, our client-,” there was a knock at the door, and Baron frowned, “I wasn’t expecting any other visitors this evening.”

He walked to the door, and opened it, as Toto hopped to his balcony to see what was going on, “Baron, I don’t think finding a way there is going to be a problem anymore.”

Haru and Muta made there way outside, as did Toto and Baron. And there stood a white dragon, long blue main flowing in the light evening breeze, as the sun set.

“Ah,” Baron said, “That solves that particular problem. My friend must have recognized our dilemma.”

“Wait a second,” Muta demanded, “We’re hitching a ride to the _dangerous, life-threatening_ Spirit world on an _oversized LIZARD_?”

“Precisely. And I would be polite,” Baron said, “He is kind enough to be our transportation.”

“He looks like the kind of dragon who’d enjoy a fat housecat,” Toto taunted.

“It’s a dragon,” Haru breathed, turning to Baron, “When you said a different world….”

“You pictured your only experience with other worlds. I do hope this doesn’t frighten you.”

“I’m not scared,” she said, staring in awe, “I’m impressed. I don’t have many friends who can get me a free dragon ride.”

Baron chuckled, “I doubt Hiromi quite has the resources herself.”

“Remind me, Baron, and I hope I’m not being rude, but why do you want me to come?”

“Because, Haru. Since you are a member of our Bureau, you should participate in cases along with us. Now, let’s go. You might want to hold on,” he touched his small hand to Haru’s larger one, and smiled up at her. She couldn’t help but smile back, caught in his gravity.

She climbed onto the dragon’s scaly back, still amazed that _this_ was one of Baron’s many strange connections, because of his magic. Muta hissed as Toto unceremoniously picked him and slung him across the back of the dragon.

“Can I move?” Muta hissed, “I look like you hunted me.”

“You _would_ feed a family for a month,” Toto sniped.

Baron climbed so he was sitting on Haru’s shoulder, “I do believe we are ready to leave.”

And then they took off into the rapidly descending night.

**XSEARCHFORMAGICX**

The feeling of the wind through Haru’s hair was refreshing, but the view took her breath away. Spread out beneath them was worlds they couldn’t even begin to imagine. Miles upon miles of flooded land, broken only by a train passing through. It was… magical. In the distance, she even spotted what looked like a bathhouse… “Baron, what is that?” she asked, turning slightly to the side, so he could hear her.

“I do believe it’s a bathhouse for the spirits, Haru,” he said, looking at it with contempt in his voice.

“Does that mean-,”

“It means we’re getting closer to where we need to be.”

“We’ll be at Swamp Bottom soon,” Toto said, flying along beside them.

“Is Muta alright? He’s been unusually quiet,” Baron said.

“He fell asleep,” Toto snorted, “Baron, I’m not sure how smart this is- going to see a witch.”

“It is quite smart, thank you Toto. I am well aware of what I am doing.”

Haru turned at the sound of the determination in Baron’s voice, “Baron why are we going to see this witch anyway?”

“There are certain spells that my job requires me to do,” Baron said, “And I do not possess the magic to do them. I was hoping that some of my old friends could be called upon to help me in that quest.”

“We’re going to see a witch in the middle of the night so you can get more magic? I’m sorry, but I’m confused.”

“Do you trust me?” Baron asked quietly.

But they started descending into a swamp- it definitely lived up to the name Swamp Bottom- before she could give her answer- when in fact, she knew the answer. Of course.

Of course she trusted Baron Von Gikkingen. She trusted him with her life.

She always had. From the moment they’d met.

**XSEARCHFORMAGICX**

They touched down gently just within the fence of a small cabin. Haru and Baron climbed off, and Toto reluctantly picked Muta up and dropped him on the ground.

Baron jumped off of Haru’s shoulders, but she was too distracted by the dragon still waiting there, to look at him.

The door opened, “Well if it isn’t Humbert Von Gikkingen himself,” came a laugh, from someone who sounded quite old indeed.

She turned. An old woman with an enormous head was standing in the doorway, a black spirit with a mask on behind her.

And then she looked beside her, about to laugh about the old lady calling him Humbert, but her mouth fell open instead.

For where Baron had been standing, instead was a man. Tawny hair, and emerald eyes, he was still in a cream-colored suit, but he wasn’t a cat any longer.

“The pleasure is all mine, Zeniba,” he said softly.

“That’s a good temporary spell you’ve got, young man. Why don’t you come in? I know you want something from me.”

Baron walked in, Haru following close behind, a little shocked at his appearance.

She hadn’t expected human Baron to look so… _cute._ And so _very_ attractive. No boy at her school would have been able to compete with… that.

She shook off the thought. Of course her feelings for Baron were no secret, and she knew that, and so did Baron, and yet neither ever tried to diffuse whatever tension stood between them.

Baron stopped, staring at the spirit with curiosity, “Interesting. Zeniba, where did you find this spirit?”

“A little girl brought him to me, and he decided to stay on. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“I never took you for the type to take in strays,” he said, accepting a cup of tea, as they sat at the table.

“Or you, Humbert,” she scolded, “Unless this is your wife, and your transformed children, and that’s why you need magic?”

“Do I look like his kid?” Muta hissed.

“Don’t be rude,” Toto snapped back.

“Oh they certainly argue like children, but no. They aren’t mine.”

“Yes,” Zeniba mused, “I can see that now. That’s a normal housecat you’ve got, Humbert.”

“Since when does anyone call you Humbert?” Haru blurted out, then blushed, as Baron turned to her.

“Zeniba enjoys her habits,” Baron replied. The spirit joined them at the table, and started eating the cake she’d laid out at lightning speed, “Goodness, you have an appetite. Much like a certain cat I know.”

Haru laughed, and Zeniba chuckled.

“I’m right here!” Muta snapped back.

“Yeah, you’re hard to miss!” Toto laughed back.

“Boys,”

“Take it outside!” Zeniba ordered, “Baron, is this the thanks I get for offering to help?”

“I’m sorry, I did think that it would be a good idea.”

“And you still haven’t introduced me to this beautiful young lady,” Zeniba said pointedly.

“This, Zeniba is Haru Yoshioka. The fourth member of my Bureau, a former client, and a dear friend of mine.”

Haru felt the need to add, “One who doesn’t call him Humbert.”

Zeniba looked between the two of them, as if getting something, “Yes, well. Old habits, you see dear.”

Haru smiled, a little puzzled by the old woman’s words. Instead of saying anything, she sipped her tea.

“Now, Humbert, what was it you wanted from an old lady, that couldn’t have waited?”

“It wasn’t that it couldn’t wait.”

“Your letters seemed urgent enough,” she said.

“It is simply a task that needs to be dealt with.”

“You’re dancing around the subject, Humbert. You can’t fool an old woman. And it isn’t polite.”

“Haru,” he said softly, glancing over at her. She was once again surprised by the softness of his voice, and the sparkling of his eyes.

“Yeah Baron?” the need to call him by something familiar- something of the Baron she loved to hold on to- was strong.

“Please go make sure that Toto and Muta haven’t killed each other yet.”

Haru sensed that there was something she was missing- something they were avoiding while she was in the room, and if she left, they could speak openly. She disliked the secrecy, but felt she had no other choice. So she left, “If they aren’t behaving, I’m tossing them in the swamp.”

 Once she was gone, Zeniba turned to Baron.

“It is an impressive spell, Humbert. I’ll grant you that. Now why don’t you give this little old lady some honestly.”

“As you said,” he said, looking into his tea cup, “this spell is only temporary. It isn’t permanent.”

“You wish to be human… permanently? Am I hearing you correctly, Humbert? Forgive an old woman.”

“You did hear correctly. I wish to be human. Not temporarily.”

“What about the Bureau?”

“The Bureau is simply a refuge in creations, and while I do love helping others with there problems…”

“There is someone you wish to change for,” she said.

“I…” he hesitated, and he knew it was a dead giveaway.

“You’re in love,” Zeniba was surprised.

“What?” he asked, his heartbeat pounding in his chest, “It isn’t that.”

“You look doing your nosy Bureau work. It has to be serious for you to give it up.”

“Zeniba,” he tried.

“Humbert, don’t lie to me. I know you too well.”

“I’m not in love. The Bureau is a refuge, it isn’t a consulting business!”

“But it is,” she replied.

“It was created as a refuge for creations.”

“And spirits, and then a human girl came to you, and you took her on as a client. Perhaps you even grew to like that client. And I’d bet my own magic that the very same human client is the one you sent outside to break up your minions. The exact same-,”

“Stop,” he said, “Please. I only wish to be human.”

“For a girl.”

He closed his eyes, “And yet she’s the most beautiful I’ve ever encountered.”

“I’m sorry, Humbert. I’m afraid my magic has been dwindling in recent years. I cannot help you.”

His eyes flew open, “Y-you can’t help me?” For the first time in a long time, he seemed as though he might lose his composure.

“I’m afraid not. I only wish that I could. You seem to care very deeply for Haru.”

“Then my business here is finished. Thank you for the tea,” he stood.

“Haku will take you back to the Bureau, Humbert. And again, I apologize. You seem to have had a wasted journey.”

“It’s quite alright. I should just consider myself lucky that I know many friends with magical abilities.” He kissed her hand, then nodded to the spirit by the door, before seeing himself out.

Once outside, he was uncharacteristically silent, watching Haru pet the dragon’s face gently, smiling and talking quietly to it.

“Is something wrong, Baron?” Toto asked, flying over.

“I just seem to have wasted a journey, that’s all,” he said.

Toto saw him watching Baron, “Wait, Baron what did you come here for?”

“My most pressing problem, Toto. And it still isn’t solved,” he sighed.

“Oh,” Toto said. And there really wasn’t anything more to say.

He walked over to Haru, “I do believe it’s time we go home.”

“Did you get what you needed from her?” Haru asked, hopeful for him.

Seeing the look on her face, reminded him he had to keep trying. He absolutely _had_ to keep trying.

He would indeed try anything in order to stay.

It was a good thing, he knew that magic, much like help, was everywhere.

_You only need look for it._

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by watching waaaaayyy too many Ghibli movies on my weekends, and falling too in love with Baron and Haru... First in the series "Search for Magic".


End file.
